Libertarian presidential candidate Jo Jorgensen visited Madison on Saturday as part of her “Real Change for Real People” campaign tour to promote her platform as a third party candidate.
In a one-on-one interview with The Daily Cardinal before her visit, Jorgensen stressed how important Wisconsin is in the 2020 election, drawing upon lessons learned from 2016.
“[Wisconsin] played an important role in the last election, and in the last election, the Democrats didn’t think Wisconsin was worth visiting,” Jorgensen said.
After traveling the country, Jorgensen believes her small government approach will appeal to both Wisconsinites and the rest of America. Jorgensen said a major lesson she learned on the campaign trail was that Americans “are fed up with the government making every single decision in their lives.”
Jorgensen explained that if she became president during the COVID-19 pandemic, she would eliminate FDA restrictions to allow for more testing and quicker vaccine development, and would leave the decision to wear masks up to individuals and businesses.
On job creation, Jorgensen stayed on theme and advocated for less government involvement. She also said she would pursue free markets and a level playing field in both the health care and energy sectors.
“I realize that money in the hands of business makes twice as many jobs as money in the hands of the government,” Jorgensen said.
Jorgensen then criticized her opponents. She rebuked Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s support of the 1994 Crime Bill and his previous opposition to gay marriage, and she took issue with the Trump administration’s lack of testing in the early stages of the pandemic.
Though she disagreed with her opponents, Jorgensen acknowledged why Americans supported them. For Trump in particular, Jorgensen said she understood his supporters wanted an outsider, but she proclaimed herself as “the only true outsider in this campaign.”
While no third-party presidential candidate has received more than 10 percent of the national vote since 1992, Jorgensen remains faithful that the younger Generation Z — a cohort she refers to as “iGen” — appeals to her policy platform and will end up voting for her. Jorgensen said younger Americans recognize diversity and differences in the United States and, like her, see social issues as “a live and let live situation.”
Additionally, Jorgensen proposed an immediate Social Security opt-out on the basis that “Social Security is not going to be waiting for [Gen Z] 40 years from now.”
“I’m the only one who realizes the government is too big, too bossy,” Jorgensen said. “And the worst part is they usually end up hurting the very people they try to help.”
Tyler Katzenberger is the former managing editor at The Daily Cardinal. He also served as the state news editor, covering numerous protests, elections, healthcare, business and in-depth stories. He previously interned with The Capital Times, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and is an incoming POLITICO California intern. Follow him on Twitter at @TylerKatzen.
